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College Football

Multiple New Roles Highlight ESPN 2012 College Football Commentator Assignments

ESPN’s 2012 college football telecasts will be highlighted by commentators working in new roles and the addition of former Ohio State standout receiver Joey Galloway. In addition, Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit will return for their seventh season together on the ABC Saturday Night Football series while Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe will continue to work the Saturday ESPN College Football Primetime telecast.

New assignments include:

Three new commentator teams will call ABC Saturday afternoon broadcasts:

Chris Spielman, an analyst on ESPN’s Saturday noon telecast, will pair up with Sean McDonough and reporter Quint Kessenich this season. Spielman and McDonough previously worked together on Saturday and Friday games from 2006-08.

Ed Cunningham, a Saturday afternoon game analyst for four years before taking on ESPN2’s Saturday night game last year, will work with Mike Patrick and reporter Jeannine Edwards.

Danny Kanell will move from an ESPNU night game to work with announcer Bob Wischusen, who returns to the ABC Saturday afternoon game, and new reporter Maria Taylor.

ESPN’s Thursday and Friday night games will also have familiar faces in new roles:

Carter Blackburn will move from Saturday games to call the weekly Friday series with returning analyst Rod Gilmore and new sideline reporter Jemele Hill. Hill has been an ESPN.com national columnist where she has also appeared on ESPN television programs since 2006.

Joe Tessitore and Matt Millen will serve as the announcers for a new package of additional Saturday night games, primarily on ESPN. Shannon Spake or Shelley Smith will report from the sidelines. Tessitore previously worked Friday night games with Rod Gilmore while Matt Millen was the analyst on Saturday afternoon ABC games with Sean McDonough.

Each of the ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU Saturday noon telecasts will include new pairings:

Brian Griese and reporter Jenn Brown will join returning commentator Dave Pasch on ESPN’s noon game. Last year, Griese was the analyst on the ESPNU Saturday night telecast and Brown was the reporter on the Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime series.

New analyst Joey Galloway, a former Ohio State and NFL veteran wide receiver, will call ESPN2’s weekly noon series with returning commentator Beth Mowins.

The new announce team of Tom Hart and analyst John Congemi will work the ESPNU noon telecast. Congemi previously called ESPN Regional Television’s BIG EAST Network games and Hart is new to ESPN.

ESPN2 and ESPNU Saturday night telecasts will include analysts in new roles:

Brock Huard, who worked select ESPN and ABC Saturday games last season, will pair up with Mark Jones on a weekly ESPN2 prime-time game.

Matt Stinchcomb, an ESPNU studio analyst last year, will move to the ESPNU prime-time game with Clay Matvick and reporter Allison Williams.

ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Regional Television Game Announcer PairingsNote: Additional commentators will contribute throughout the season.

Game Telecast

Play-by-play

Analyst

Reporter

Saturday Night Football (on ABC)

Brent Musburger

Kirk Herbstreit

TBA

ESPN College Football Primetime (Saturday)

Brad Nessler

Todd Blackledge

Holly Rowe

ESPN Saturday Prime Time

Joe Tessitore

Matt Millen

Jessica Mendoza, Shelley Smith or Shannon Spake

ESPN2 College Football Primetime (Saturday)

Mark Jones

Brock Huard

Jessica Mendoza or Shelley Smith

ESPNU Saturday Prime Time

Clay Matvick

Matt Stinchcomb

Allison Williams

ESPN College Football Primetime (Thursday)

Rece Davis

Jesse Palmer and David Pollack

Samantha Steele

ESPN and ESPN2 Friday

Carter Blackburn

Rod Gilmore

Jemele Hill

ABC Saturday Afternoon

Sean McDonough

Chris Spielman

Quint Kessenich

ABC Saturday Afternoon

Mike Patrick

Ed Cunningham

Jeannine Edwards

ABC Saturday Afternoon

Bob Wischusen

Danny Kanell

Maria Taylor

ESPN College Football (Saturday afternoon)

Dave Pasch

Brian Griese

Jenn Brown

ESPN2 College Football (Saturday afternoon)

Beth Mowins

Joey Galloway

ESPNU Saturday Afternoon

Tom Hart

John Congemi

ESPNU Saturday Afternoon

Anish Shrof

Dan Hawkins

ESPNU Thursday (HBCU)

Joe Davis

Jay Walker

ESPNU Late Saturday (HBCU)

Joe Davis

Jay Walker

ESPN Radio

Bill Rosinski

David Norrie

Joe Schad

SEC Network (ESPN Regional Television syndicated games)

Dave Neal

Andre Ware

Cara Capuano

BIG EAST Network (ESPN Regional Television syndicated games)

Eamon McAnaney

David Diaz-Infante

Paul Carcaterra

The 2012 college football season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN 3D, ESPN3, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television and ESPN GamePlan will total more than 450 regular-and post-season games, concluding with the entire Bowl Championship Series, including the National Championship, on ESPN. The schedule will include weekly Saturday night games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, weekly ESPN and ESPNU Thursday night contests and telecasts every Friday.

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